Marcus Freeman has made a name for himself as a modern recruiter and program-builder, but nothing tests a coach’s legacy quite like picking a starting quarterback. After back-to-back years of landing high-profile “rentals” in Sam Hartman and Riley Leonard. Freeman now faces an entirely different dynamic—choosing between two of Notre Dame’s own, CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. It’s a shift in tone and philosophy, and this time, there’s no seasoned veteran parachuting in. It’s homegrown or bust.
From the outside, it feels like the torch is slowly inching toward Carr. Yet as Notre Dame insider Tyler Horka explained on Andy & Ari On3, “We’re all assuming CJ Carr nationally. There’s more nuance to it than we thought, obviously, because a lot of us didn’t think that Kenny Minchey would be here right now.” That little twist is what’s made this summer in South Bend far more compelling than anticipated. “Quite frankly, I don’t even know if I did. And I was one of the higher guys on the beat on Kenny Minchey,” Horka replied. “I saw his game and I said, ‘That could work. That could work at Notre Dame and that could work somewhere else.’ The fact that he’s still here, I think says a lot about him.” The bottom line: don’t count out Minchey.
The reality is that neither passer has made the job a layup. While Minchey had three appearances in 2023 and Carr saw a few snaps, including against Purdue, neither has logged meaningful college reps. But Horka’s stance is clear: it’s time to go with the young gun. “It just feels like the right time to start a sophomore who just sat through a 16-game season. He saw what that looked like from Riley Leonard in terms of being the starter from the start to finish. Has he started a game in his college career? No. But at some point you have to start that first one, right?”
That first one, however, won’t be a walk in the park. Notre Dame’s opener is a road clash with Miami, followed by matchups against Texas A&M, Purdue, and a trip to Arkansas. “Maybe it would be a little bit nicer if it was against some directional school at home… but we’ve seen Notre Dame lose those games, too,” Horka added. “I think you throw him out there against Miami and you say, ‘Hey, this is our guy, not just right now, but probably in the future as well.’ And you see what you got. And if you don’t got something that you like in a couple of quarters or that entire game, maybe you do start Kenny Minchey at some point.”
Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Irish, for the first time in years, are in the rare position of choosing between two talented QBs they recruited and developed themselves. “That’s a pretty cool thing for Notre Dame because three of the last four years, you haven’t had that.”
Marcus Freeman, for his part, hasn’t committed publicly yet but gave his own hint at what’s going on behind the scenes. “We have two guys that were really battling with Steve in the spring with CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey, and both did some really good things, right,” Freeman said on Always College Football. “Both, as you evaluate the quarterback position, have an extremely high ceiling. They both do things really, really well, and they do them differently.” There’s no cookie-cutter blueprint here. Carr may have the more polished feel, but Minchey’s in-game poise and loyalty to the process is making it a true toss-up.
The biggest storyline isn’t just who will start—it’s when Marcus Freeman decides to end the suspense. Rumors have swirled that he’s finally nailed down a timeline, but considering what lies ahead on the Irish’s early schedule, the decision is as much about timing as it is about talent. Neither Carr nor Minchey has significant experience throughout their careers. Both got into last season’s game against Purdue, while Minchey had three appearances during the 2023 season.
The whole evaluation from Freeman is going to come from practices leading into the year. Positives and negatives came from both, needing to really take the competition by the reins.
Marcus Freeman is holding out on clocking his starting QB
So, when exactly will Marcus Freeman pull the trigger and finally name QB1? If you’re waiting on a calendar date, don’t hold your breath. Freeman is playing it cool—and cautious. His answer? Pure coach-speak gold. “I learned early in my career, don’t put a timetable on it,” he said via Golic & Golic.
“When we’re confident that the starter is clearly defined, then we’ll name that starter. It could be after the summer. It could be after the first practice, it could be — again, I don’t love the thought of going into the first game without naming a starter, but if we have to wait, we will. I don’t think we will. But, you know, I think, how do we put them in situations where they’re competitive situations where they have to execute? And at the end of the day, who’s executed? Who’s putting our offense in a position to have success?” Translation: the battle is wide open, and this one’s going to the wire.
Freeman isn’t forcing the issue, and he’s not crowning anyone early. He’s letting the quarterbacks write their own story. “Both of those guys have done a lot of really good things in the 15 practices we had in the spring, and even as we got back here in the summer,” Freeman added. “I always say they’re going to decide. We don’t decide as coaches, the quarterbacks will decide who’s the starter. We’ll believe they’ll put our offense in a great position.”
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